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Lewis and Clark Revisited: A Trail in Modern Day

Presented by Museum of History and Art, Ontario at Museum of History and Art, Ontario

February 12-March 29, 2009

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The Museum of History and Art, Ontario presents, “Lewis and Clark Revisited: A Trail in Modern Day,” a traveling photography exhibition that traces the historic voyage. Following in the footsteps of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark as they searched for the Northwest Passage, contemporary photographer Greg MacGregor traces the historic 19th century journey west to see the route as it exists today. Using the Lewis and Clark journals as his guide, MacGregor follows the original path as much as possible and captures vivid images along the way. In this traveling exhibition the photographs are paired with journal entries from the Lewis and Clark dairies, showing the transformation of the land and its people. The exhibition includes 60 black and white images chronicling the 200 years of human inhabitance that have dramatically altered much of the landscape. Bridges and hydroelectric dams now traverse the Missouri River and sections of the original riverbanks have been completely altered. Yet in other areas, the scenery resembles what the Corps of Discovery must have seen two centuries ago. “Lewis and Clark Revisited” speaks to the legacy of those early explorers who opened up the west to a young nation’s imagination and settlement and, at the same time, provides a rich visual commentary on contemporary American life. Starting from the official beginning of the expedition itself in Saint Charles, Missouri, MacGregor captures important natural landmarks and waterways in the explorers’ journey including: The Kansas River, Council Bluffs (Iowa), Spirit Mound (near Vermillion, South Dakota), The Three Forks of the Missouri, The Yellowstone River, The Rocky Mountains, Great Falls, Montana, The Columbia River Gorge. As if to complete the journey, the exhibition takes us back east across the continent again to Pennsylvania where we see an orange tree that was sent by Lewis and Clark to Thomas Jefferson while on their expedition. It is a reminder of the lasting legacy of the Lewis and Clark expedition. The “Lewis and Clark Revisited: A Trail in Modern Day” exhibition tour was organized by Greg MacGregor and the California Exhibition Resources Alliance (CERA). CERA is a network of professionally operated museums and cultural organizations that collaborate to create and tour smaller, affordable, high quality exhibitions that enhance civic engagement and human understanding. CERA is supported by generous grants from The James Irvine Foundation and The William Randolph Hearst Foundation.